Ex-Jigawa APC chairman detained over alleged falsehood against Gov Badaru

BY SULE TAHIR, Dutse

The former chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in Jigawa State, Habibu Sara, has been arrested by the police, later on taken to.magistrate Court 2 and detained on the order of a Magistrate Awwal Balago for an alleged defaming the character of the state governor, Muhammad Badaru, in a radio programme.

Mr Sara was arrested by the police and charged to court and remanded in prison on Thursday after the radio programme aired on freedom radio Dutse on the 26 April this year in both Jigawa and neighbouring Kano state.

Mr Sara claimed that the governor convened a meeting in Saudi Arabia with some of the politicians in the state allegedly planning to scuttle the incoming administration of the governor-elect, Umar Namadi.

“The governor has already bought vehicles to be distributed to the (yet-to-be) commissioners for the incoming administration which he does not suppose to do because it’s not his responsibility to purchase vehicles for the new administration.

“For the past eight years, he (Governor Badaru) has bought 200 vehicles whose transactions and distribution were shrouded in secrecy which we are demanding an explanation, Mr Sara claimed in the radio programmes.

But the governor’s aide on media content development, Habibu Muhammad, in a letter of complaint, asked the police to arrest Mr Sara and one other person, Karami Jahun, whom he accused of peddling false information against his principal, the outgoing governor.

“The above allegations are false and are intended to defame the character of the governor of Jigawa and his servants including myself (Mr Muhammad) and to incite public disturbance and disharmony in the governance of the state and between Jigawa state and the incoming governor.

“It’s against this background that I write this complaint to urge you to investigate the matter and bring the culprit to book if found wanting in violation of the law, Mr Muhammed wrote to the police.

On Thursday, a magistrate, Auwal Balago, charged Meers Sara and Jahun with a three-count charge of defamation of character, an attempt to incite public disturbance and disorder.

The duo pleaded not guilty.

The magistrate, Mr Balago ordered the detention of the accused persons in a correctional facility till 8, May for the hearing of the case.